Monday, June 30, 2008

I ran across a card by Tangii Crain while looking through cards posted on SplitCoastStampers.com using the Fresh Cuts set -- and just had to CASE it. (CASE = Copy And Selectively Edit.) The combination of colors and design really caught my eye.

I learned as I was assembling my pieces that Tangii's card is bigger than my selected size of 5-1/2" x 4-1/4", so that forced me to do a little fudging to make it all work for my own cards.

Each of my four cards are slightly different, but the materials used are pretty much the same. Colors are So Saffron, Brocade Blue, and Sage Shadow. On one of the cards I used a saffron design from the Palette o' Prints DSP that was offered by SU! last year, but for the others I used a stamp from the Priceless set. I tried one card without the blue grosgrain ribbon. On another I layered the ribbon on a panel of the Palette o' Prints paper. The main image on the fourth card is cut into four sections instead of nine because I was chatting with someone while working and wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. (Oops!) I'm quite happy with this batch of cards, and only wish the photos would do them justice.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

I had ten cards picked out for "guy" birthdays, and then decided one was too girly... sooooo, back to the drawing board for one last card.

Moose is by Embossing Arts Co., and background trees are from Lovely as a Tree by Stampin' Up! I used a pre-fab green notecard and envelope with Close to Cocoa accents. It's a simple card, but I really struggled with it.

I made this next card with a vellum pocket centuries ago, so I'm not sure which Stampin' Up! sets were used, but I'm sure they're long since retired. Colors are Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, and Black. The technique on the background involved painting some lines with rubber cement, sponging, and then removing the rubber cement.

Another Classic Convertible card, this time using the striped paper I had out with a Basic Gray card base. I don't think it shows in the picture, but I folded the striped paper in half and mounted it on a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of Basic Gray, so the print paper is what opens up.

The next two photos are of a card front and then inside. Designer paper is SU!'s Spring Silhouettes. I'm not sure, but I think the bird on the front is by Uptown. The dots are Hero Arts. Color is Wild Wasabi.

The card base for the following card is textured cardstock which I think I inherited from a friend. I used Night of Navy to layer the candles and the gold brads. The Hero Arts candles are embossed with Gold Fire Opal embossing powder.

I pulled out my SU! Eastern Elegance rub-ons to make the following card. I also found some patterned black and white mini-brads that seemed to fit nicely.

I don't own the set, but I had an image from Noble Deer in my stash. Greeting is from Happy Everything. Colors are Close to Cocoa and Old Olive. The brown panel under the deer has been run through a crimper for texture.

I decided to break down and take advantage of this month's SU! Fresh Cuts special after gawking at all the cards posted on the SplitCoastStampers site using these materials. I anticipated ripping my package open and flying through the 15 notecards like the wind. Instead, I sat at my desk and stared, and stared, and stared... and finally agonizingly put together these two cards.

I first made a notecard using the Spring Silhouettes DSP (which you can see through the punched out petals), the 5-Petal Flower punch, and the Spring Blossoms punch. Colors are Wild Wasabi and Certainly Celery. In the center is a green bit of bling.

I was pretty darn pleased with my efforts so far, but then I think I raised the bar a bit with my next card. I wasn't too sure of myself at first, but I learned that Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, and Taken with Teal work quite well together. Once again I used the punches and the green rhinestones. I pulled out my Punches Plus Classy Brass to paper pierce around the "for you" oval. The template slipped the first time (grrrr!!), so I had to flip the card base around and do a bit of damage control on the inside of the card. A quote from the Friendship Flowers set layered on DSP saved the day.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Back in April, I asked my friends in North Carolina, Fonda and Katie, to "fix" a card that I was having problems with. I had smeared some doodles, and Fonda came to my rescue using Spider Writers to add more color and doodles. The resulting card is "tray kewl." (Check out my entries for April 13 and 22 if you want to see how this card got transformed.)

Well, in the spirit of payback, they sent me a card of theirs that needed some help. It's been sitting on my desk a couple of weeks while I've been mulling over some ideas, and today I took the plunge and just did it. Below are before and after pics.

The "fix" was pretty simple. I stamped and embossed with detail silver a small forest of trees using Hero Arts' Creative Trees set. The "Life Laugh Love" is also from Hero Arts and embossed with the same powder. I added a clear gemstone to the "sun" circle, and then did some paper piercing. Voila! It'll be interesting to see how they like it.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Here's a batch of cards made using mostly stamps from Hero Arts: LL230 Creative Trees and F4136 Assorted Dot Border. The circle I used for shadow stamping is from The Stamp Pad Co. I just love how these cards turned out!

Cardstock includes Kraft notecards with matching envelopes; Regal Rose; Basic Black; Whisper White; Vanilla Linen; and scraps of Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, and Lavendar Lace. Toys include SU!'s corners punch and paper piercing tools. On the two black cards I used my Essential Glue Pad and SU!'s Dazzling Diamonds to jazz up the shadow circles. The photos don't do the cards justice -- they look AWESOME in real life!

Of course, no stamping session is complete without a cat walking all over my workspace. This is Bubba, the neighborhood cat and my bestest furry buddy. He's expressed an interest in stamping, but he's a bit frustrated with his lack of opposable thumbs which make it too difficult for him. Say hi, Bubba!

Monday, June 9, 2008

The SU! stamp set Polka Dots and Petals has been sitting on my desk for a week just begging to be used. I have a ton of 1" die-cut squares from a product Stampin' Up! offered some years ago, and I've been wanting to put them to good use, along with other cardstock scraps I have in my stash. Put it all together with some Palette Noir Black ink, and you get the following cards. The beauty of it? Not a single virgin sheet of cardstock was cut into in the making of this batch. Hooray!

The saying stamps I used are LL171 Handwritten for You by Hero Arts.

The cards are pretty simple, but if I feel ambitious when it's time to send them out, I can jazz them up with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter or some gemstones. Pretty cool, eh?

Saturday, June 7, 2008

I have the unique opportunity to welcome a dear friend's husband-to-be from Algeria to his new home in America this month. The card I made, while busier than my usual designs, reflects (I hope) the excitement of this event.

Colors are Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White, and Encore Gold. I stamped images from SU's In the Stars set over the background I made with the Classic Stars jumbo wheel. The layered stars were made with punches and raised with a Stampin' Dimensional. I printed the inside greeting on the right from my computer.

About Me

My name is Joyce and I'm avid stamper, having been involved with the craft since long before it was cool. I'm an Independent Demonstrator with Stampin' Up!, and I love to share my projects on this blog. Welcome!

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The Legal Stuff

This is my personal blog; I am an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and I am responsible for its content. Stampin' Up! does not endorse the use of or contents of the classes, services, or non-Stampin' Up! products I may offer here.

All content, including designs, concepts, text, and photographs are property of Joyce Spear. Stamped images are copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2017 unless otherwise indicated. My designs and artwork are shared for your personal inspiration and enjoyment. You may CASE (Copy and Selectively Edit) my artwork for your personal use, e.g. for such things as decorative projects, swaps, and classes; but you may not use them for publication, re-selling, or contest submissions. Thanks so much for your cooperation!